critical thinking questions on sense organs

• Critical Thinking Questions
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• Receptors can respond to multiple stimuli, whereas free nerve endings are specialized cells that detect a specific stimulus.
• Receptors are specialized cells that detect a specific stimulus, whereas free nerve endings can respond to multiple stimuli.
• Receptors are similar for different stimuli, whereas free nerve endings are different for different stimuli.
• Receptors are specialized cells that detect a specific stimulus, whereas free nerve endings can respond to pressure.
• Reception would not be affected. However, signal transduction and perception will be incomplete.
• Perception would not be affected. However, signal transduction and reception will be incomplete.
• Signal transduction would not be affected. However, reception and perception will be incomplete.
• Reception and signal transduction would not be affected. However, perception will be incomplete.

This graph shows the just noticeable difference versus the sound loudness. The CPS values show sound frequency.

What is a claim that can be said based on this graph?

• People cannot hear more minute differences for louder sounds.
• Sound frequency has no effect on hearing minute differences.
• People hear more minute differences in louder sounds.
• People can hear more minute differences in sounds with higher CPS (frequency)
• All types of senses undergo sensory transduction by converting a stimulus into a chemical signal via the central nervous system.
• All types of senses undergo sensory transduction by converting a stimulus into an electrical signal via the peripheral nervous system.
• All types of senses undergo sensory transduction by converting a stimulus into a chemical signal via the nervous system.
• All types of senses undergo sensory transduction by converting a stimulus into an electrical signal via the nervous system.
• These two types of thermoreceptors are used to detect warmth and cold which is necessary to maintain body temperature.
• These two types of mechanoreceptors are used to detect fine details necessary for many roles of fingertips but not palms such as typing.
• These two types of proprioceptors are used to detect fine details necessary for many roles of fingertips but not palms, such as typing.
• These two types of mechanoreceptors are used to detect fine details, which are necessary for many roles of fingertips as well as palms.

The table shows the results of the two-point discrimination test for a population.

In the test, two sharp points, such as two thumbtacks, are brought into contact with the subject’s skin. The subject reports if he or she feels one point or two points. The test can be used to determine the density of receptors in skin.

What is a conclusion that can be made based on this data?

• The highest concentration of mechanoreceptors are in the lower arm.
• The upper arm has a higher density of receptors than the lower arm.
• The long and little fingers have the highest concentration of receptors.
• There are no mechanoreceptors in the fingers other than the thumb, the long finger and the little finger.
• Peppers contain capsaicin, which opens the same sodium channels as warm receptors. Excess stimulation gives the perception of pain. Thus people who can tolerate more heat find peppers to be less painful.
• Peppers contain capsaicin, which opens the same calcium channels as warm receptors. Excess stimulation gives the perception of pain. Thus people who can tolerate more heat find peppers to be less painful.
• Peppers contain quinine, which opens the same calcium channels as warm receptors. Excess stimulation gives the perception of pain. Thus people who can tolerate more heat find peppers to be less painful.
• Peppers contain quinine, which opens the same sodium channels as warm receptors. Excess stimulation gives the perception of pain. Thus people who can tolerate more heat find peppers to be less painful.
• Merkel’s disks and Meissner’s corpuscles are found in specialized regions and detect the amount of stretch. Pacinian corpuscles and Ruffini endings are able to sense deeper touch, such as deeper pressure.
• Merkel’s disks and Meissner’s corpuscles are found deeper in the skin and are able to sense deeper touch, such as deeper pressure. Pacinian corpuscles and Ruffini endings are able to better detect fine touch.
• Merkel’s disks and Meissner’s corpuscles are found deeper in the skin and detect fine touch. Pacinian corpuscles and Ruffini endings are able to sense deeper touch, such as deeper pressure.
• Merkel’s disks and Meissner’s corpuscles are found in more upper parts of the skin and detect fine touch. Pacinian corpuscles and Ruffini endings are able to sense deeper touch, such as deeper pressure.

This graph shows the relation between body-mass index (BMI) and taste sensitivity.

Which option is a conclusion you can draw from this graph?

• BMI and sense of taste are not related.
• People with higher BMI tend to have a weaker sense of taste on average.
• People with higher BMI tend to have a stronger sense of taste on average.
• People with low BMI tend to have the weakest sense of taste.
• The animal might not be able to eat food.
• The animal might not be able to eat sweet and unspoiled food.
• The animal might not be able to distinguish food that is bitter and sour.
• The animal might not be able to distinguish food that is dangerous, bitter, spoiled, sour or sweet.
• Bloodhounds were bred to have a better sense of smell, and thus have fewer olfactory receptors and larger olfactory epithelia.
• Bloodhounds were bred to have a better sense of smell, and thus have more olfactory receptors and larger olfactory epithelia.
• Bloodhounds were bred to have a better sense of smell, and thus have more olfactory receptors and smaller olfactory epithelia.
• Bloodhounds were bred to have a better sense of smell, and thus have more olfactory bulbs and larger olfactory receptors.
• Pheromones are sent to the main olfactory bulb instead of the amygdala and are not consciously perceived.
• Pheromones are sent to the amygdala instead of the main olfactory bulb and are consciously perceived.
• Pheromones are sent to the amygdala instead of the main olfactory bulb and are not consciously perceived.
• Pheromones are sent to the main olfactory bulb instead of the amygdala and are consciously perceived.

The table shows the hearing range of some animals.

What is a conclusion we can draw from this data?

• Elephants can hear higher pitched sounds than humans can.
• A gerbil would not be able hear a sound at 40 kHz.
• Dolphins and whales can hear extremely high pitched sounds compared to humans.
• A sheep cannot hear a sound that is louder than 1 kHz.
• wavelength, by lowering the amplitude at which you are speaking
• amplitude, by lowering the frequency at which you are speaking
• frequency, by lowering the volume at which you are speaking
• amplitude, by lowering the volume at which you are speaking.

The image shows the structure of a healthy ear.

If an individual was born without the malleus in either ear, explain why they might have problems with hearing.

• Without the malleus and incus, the vibrations of the tympanum would not be able to reach the stapes and then be sent to the cochlea.
• Without the malleus and incus, the vibrations of the pinna would not be able to reach the stapes and then be sent to the cochlea.
• Without the malleus and incus, sound waves would not be collected by the tympanum.
• Without the malleus and incus, sound waves would not be collected by the pinna.
• Vestibular sensation relies on gravity’s effects to function properly. At a different gravity, the perception of motion would be different.
• Vestibular sensation does not rely on gravity’s effects, but requires pressure. Inside a pressurized suit, the astronaut would not feel any different.
• Vestibular sensation cannot function without Earth's gravity. On the Moon, astronauts would need to function completely without it.
• Vestibular sensation function with better efficiency in lower gravity. On the Moon, the astronauts senses would be enchanced.

The image is taken by a special camera that can see bats on a dark night.

Why are human eyes unable to see bats like this?

• Warm objects give out infrared radiation. The frequency of infrared radiation is too low for our eyes to detect.
• Warm objects give out ultraviolet radiation. The frequency of infrared radiation is too low for our eyes to detect.
• The camera bounces off infrared light off the bats, and then detects it. Our eyes cannot emit light like the camera does.
• The camera bounces off ultraviolet light off the bats, and then detects it. Our eyes cannot emit light like the camera does.

This graph shows the wavelengths of light the rods and cones of the eye can detect.

What receptors are active if you are seeing a white building on a bright day?

• All three cones in your eyes are stimulated when you see the color white. The rods do not play a role in color vision.
• The L and M cones are stimulated in your eyes when you see the color white. The rods do not play a role in color vision.
• The S cones and the rods are stimulated in your eyes when you see the color white.
• The L cones and the rods are stimulated in your eyes when you see the color white.
• Photoreceptors and bipolar cells are depolarized, whereas other sensory receptors typically remain polarized.
• Photoreceptors and bipolar cells are hyperpolarized, whereas other sensory receptors typically remain polarized.
• Photoreceptors and bipolar cells are depolarized, whereas other sensory receptors typically become hyperpolarized.
• Photoreceptors and bipolar cells are hyperpolarized, whereas other sensory receptors typically become depolarized.
• Some signals go to the temporal lobe, which detects “where” information, and other signals go to the parietal lobe, which detects “where” and “what” signals.
• Some signals go to the parietal lobe, which detects “where” information, and other signals go to the temporal lobe, which detects “what” signals.
• Some signals go to the parietal lobe, which detects “where” and “what” information and other signals go to the temporal lobe, which also detects “where” and “what” signals.
• Some signals go to the parietal lobe, which detects “where” information, and other signals go to the temporal lobe, which detects “where” and “what” signals.

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IdahoPTV Home > Science Trek > Five Senses > Top 10 Questions

Five Senses: Top 10 Questions

February 2016.

Thanks to Thanks to Dr. Naya Antink, pediatrician at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center; and Dr. Bradley Bishop, pediatrician, Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center for their answers. for the answers.

1: Do we really only have five senses?

Yes, we humans only have five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. Some animals have more than five, but that's pretty rare. (From Karli at Sagle Elementary School in Sagle)

2: What sense do we use the most?

It depends on what sense you use and if you have all five senses originally. The sense we probably rely on and use the most is our vision. We use our eyes all day, as our eyes are open. We do use our senses of smell and taste at times, and our sense of hearing is always there, but it's our vision that we most rely on. (From Jorge at White Pine Elementary School in Boise)

3: What makes us hear sound?

The ear works like a cone to absorb wave lengths of sound. As the sound comes into the ear, it hits our eardrum, which then converts the sound wave into a mechanical movement that gets transmitted into an electrical signal. This signal goes through the cochlea and gets sent up to the hearing section of the brain. It is then that we hear sound. (From Caden at White Pine Elementary School in Boise)

4: How do taste buds work?

Taste buds are very specific cells on the surface of your tongue that help you sense flavor. When you eat something that's sweet, like sugar, the taste buds contain receptors that signal you to taste that sweet substance. That signal is sent to your brain. The taste buds on your tongue can sense four different things: sweet, sour, bitter and salty. (From Rhone at Jefferson Elementary School in Boise)

5: How do your fingers feel?

Within your fingers, you have sensory cells that help you feel things. How these cells are distributed, how close they are together, affects whether there is any texture to what you are feeling and the degree to which you will feel it. If you'll notice, it is easier to feel textures with your fingers than it is to feel them with the back of your hand. Your receptor cells are able to sense as you touch something (the sense varies depending on the pressure you apply) and the signals are sent to your brain and let you know you are touching something. (From Hyfa at Jefferson Elementary School in Boise)

6: When you see a color, how do you know that everybody else sees the same color?

Color perception is a difficult science. When we see a color, we learn that the lemon is yellow, and the wavelength that is emitted from the lemon into our brain triggers a special cell in the eyeball, called a cone cell. A signal is sent to the brain allowing us to interpret it as lemon. Now, some people are colorblind, that is they cannot "see" certain colors. There are special tests where you can determine if you are colorblind. So, we don't know until someone takes those tests if they are "seeing" the same color as everyone else. (From Georgia at White Pine Elementary School in Boise)

7: Why do kids like sweet the best?

We have the sweet receptors on our tongue, the taste buds that taste sweet. There are some who believe that there are more sweet taste buds when we are little and that those taste buds dissipate with time, or become less with time. Then, there are those that believe that sugar can actually stimulate our brain and give us excitement. Doctors use sugar water to help calm infants when they do procedures with them. (From Masha at White Pine Elementary School in Boise)

8: Why are our ears shaped like this?

Ears are shaped like a cone to help absorb the sound waves and channel them deep into the ear to the eardrum. There, they are transmitted into electrical signals that get sent to the brain. (From Kaylani at Jefferson Elementary School in Boise)

9: How does the eyeball actually work?

The eyeball receives light. There is a small, black dot in the front of your eye. That is the hole that allows light to enter through the eye. Behind that is a lens. It's like a lens of a camera that helps to focus the light onto the back of your eyeball. On the back of your eyeball, there are receptors called cones and rods that help you perceive the light. The light is sent to your brain to help you see. (From Austin at Sagle Elementary School in Sagle)

10: How can you smell something while your nose is clogged up?

Your nose has receptor cells that sense particles like those of a rose or food. These sensations are transmitted into your brain to acknowledge the smell. When your nose is clogged, sometimes some of those cells get covered, and it may be difficult to smell things when your nose is stuffy. (From Gus at Jefferson Elementary School in Boise)

January 2009

Thanks to Dr. David Bettis, Pediatric Neurologist and Dr. David Agler, family medicine, St. Luke's Regional Medical Center, Boise; and Dr. Charles Davis, family medicine, St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center, for the answers.

1: Are the lines on your fingers able to tell you if things are rough or soft? (Michael); and, What is it in your skin that helps you feel? (Stewart)

It's not so much the lines themselves as it is the sensors, which are very small. They are under the skin and in the skin. It's those sensors that actually transmit the information from the skin itself up to the brain. There are tiny, different receptors for different kinds of touch. There's one for temperature, cold and hot, one for pain, one for soft touch, and a different one for vibration. (From Michael in Mrs. Woodall's class at Hayden Meadows Elementary and Stuart in Mrs. Miller's class at Caldwell Adventist Elementary School)

2: Is your taste connected to your smell when you eat?

Taste and smell are separate senses; they do work in harmony, but they are two separate senses entirely. Those two are probably the most interrelated. If you get a bad cold and your nose is stuffed up you can't taste food, for instance. So it's a waste to have a turkey dinner when you can't taste anything. In this scenario, taste is partly dependent on smell and you use both in that case. (From Samantha in Mrs. Anderson's class at Hillcrest Elementary in American Falls)

3: What is the most important sense out of the five?

It's hard to say one is any more important than the others. Obviously if you have all of the senses, it makes for a better experience, but you can survive without one or more of your senses. It's very hard to think about how one is more important but if you lose one completely it can cause problems. Losing touch would be important, for instance, since you don't know if you're going to get burned and it could be dangerous. (From Schyler in Mrs. Schweitzer's class at Riverside Elementary in Boise)

4: Can you feel the taste buds on your tongue?

You can feel the taste buds on your tongue if you put your finger on your tongue. There are little bumps and the taste buds are fairly small. They are too small to feel the individual ones but you can feel the papillae (the bumps) that contain the taste buds. One interesting thing to add is the cilia on the taste buds. There are medical conditions where it can grow quite long and actually cause conditions called hairy tongue. They grow so long it almost looks like hair on your tongue. (From Sam who attends home school in Coeur d'Alene)

5: Why are animal senses better than human senses?

It most likely has to do with the anatomy of the animal's ears or eyes, or nose. Some animals have worse senses than humans. It would be based on the anatomy and how we have developed, either humans or animals. Different animals have different survival values. So an eagle with "eagle eyes" needs to see things from far away because they're flying up high. Cats have very good vision at a distance but up close they feel with their nose and sense of smell. So it would depend on what sense makes the most survival sense and value for that animal. (From Kyle in Mrs. Amburn's class at Cynthia Mann Elementary in Boise)

6: Can they make a robot that has all of our human senses?

They haven't quite gotten all of our human senses engineered yet with the robot. But if you think about it, theoretically, could you have a robot that would have the same kind of senses we have? It would respond as long as it has a robot-type brain that would be able to intercept those senses. A robot wouldn't care if its arm got cut, which is a response to our sense; touch protects us from injury. If something were sharp or sticky we would pull our arm away from it whereas a metal robot arm doesn't care if it bumps into things. The sense of touch wouldn't mean as much to a robot as other things like seeing or hearing. (From Gabrielle in Mrs. Hunt's class at Cynthia Mann Elementary in Boise)

7: Where on the tongue is the location of sweet, sour, salty, and bitter, and why are they in separate places?

There are separate receptors for different senses of taste, but they're actually all mixed together and the tongue all over has a sense of taste. One thing that is really essential to taste is saliva. Try wiping your tongue dry with a towel or piece of paper and then putting a little salt or sugar on your tongue, and you'll see it's harder to taste it without the saliva to dissolve the chemical. We also swish things around our tongue, so if there's decreased taste on one side, we mix it up. (From Andrew who attends home school in Twin Falls)

8: Is the ear connected to your nose on the inside?

There is a type of connection there. From your middle ear you have a tube that drains down to the back of your sinuses and helps to equalize the pressure between your middle ear and the outside atmosphere. So there is a connection there between your ear and the nose through that tube. (From Greg in Mrs. Anderson's class at Hillcrest Elementary in American Falls)

9: What advice do you have for someone taking care of their five senses?

It's important to protect your eyes and wear protective eyewear when you're doing certain activities such as mowing the lawn, doing carpentry work, pounding nails, or using a power tool. More importantly it's very, very important to use sunglasses because bright light from the sun, if it's overexposed to your eyes, can be very harmful. And of course we never, ever look directly into the sun. One important way to protect your hearing is to avoid prolonged exposure to loud noise. One problem that we see nowadays with the iPod generation is early hearing loss because of the volumes on the iPods with the earphones in. Not exposing your ears to loud noise is important. And please don't stick q-tips in your ears; that eardrum is very sensitive and can rupture easily. It's harder to protect your sense of smell, taste, or touch; these are all things that can be damaged. And if you touch something really super hot you can actually damage the actual nerve on the hand. Stay away from anything that could physically damage your skin or physically damage your tongue, for instance. It's also key to avoid alcohol and drugs. The human body is marvelous and we have our special senses that allow to us to watch beautiful sunsets and listen to our favorite music and enjoy our favorite foods, so why would we want to alter that with drugs or alcohol? Life is good just the way it is, and the human body is truly a miracle. (From Brittney in Mrs. Everett's class at Mountain Home High School)

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Higher Order Questions for the Five Senses

Discussion in ' Kindergarten ' started by Sheila , Oct 28, 2008 .

Sheila Comrade

Oct 28, 2008

I have been trying to think of higher order-open ended questions in regards to the five senses. I am doing my observation on the five senses and have hit a rut! I am only able to come up with literal questions. Help!  

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Which of the five senses is the most important? Why? Why do you think it is important that we be able to feel? Why do you think it is important that we be able to taste? Would you have a favorite food if you couldn't taste?  

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The senses working together

​This focus idea is explored through:

Contrasting student and scientific views

Critical teaching ideas, teaching activities, student everyday experiences.

Students take their senses for granted and often do not realise how they work together in providing different types of information about our immediate environment. This information allows us to respond to changes in our environment.

Since students rarely lose one of their senses, they do not appreciate that they work in combination. In situations when students may experience temporary loss or masking of one sense, such as losing their sense of taste when they have a cold, losing their sense of sight when walking from a well-lit room into a dark room, or losing their general sense of hearing when using an MP3 player and personal ear phones, they may become more aware of having to use other senses to provide information from their environment.

Students rarely have first hand experience of how people with a sensory loss obtain needed information about the environment by using other senses.

Scientific view

The five senses - sight, taste, touch, hearing and smell – collect information about our environment that are interpreted by the brain. We make sense of this information based on previous experience (and subsequent learning) and by the combination of the information from each of the senses.

We respond almost automatically to most sensory information. Such response is important for survival in our environment.

• We use our senses to gather and respond to information about our environment, which aids our survival.
• Each sense provides different information which is combined and interpreted by our brain.
• Which sense is dominant varies between different animals, as well as which is the most sensitive. Our dominant sense is sight and hearing is our most sensitive (due to the range of ‘loudness’ over which hearing operates).
• Advancements in science have enhanced the quality of life for many people with sensory disabilities by providing such things as alternative methods of communication, increased mobility, additional educational tools, and technology designed for sensory enhancement, such as cochlear implants.

At this level, learning experiences which encourage students to find out more about themselves and other animals are important. Initially it is important to explicitly identify the five senses and the organ(s) associated with each sense. Then, with the intention of moving towards an understanding of ‘systems,’ it is also important to provide opportunities for students to experience the ways that each sense provides information which helps and supports the other senses and the organism as a whole.

Learning experiences should allow students to consider everyday difficulties that may be experienced by people whose sensory input is disrupted or unreliable. Encourage students to identify items or systems that have been developed to enhance sensory input. These could include: Braille, bells at railway crossings, audible, vibrating and tactile pedestrian signals, hearing aids, guide dogs, talking clocks, walking canes, etc.

Bring out students’ existing ideas and open discussion via shared experiences

Introduce the topic by providing a variety of experiences which can be built upon to explore each sense in detail. Use ‘feely bags’, secret packages, taped sounds and taste tests of bitter, sweet, salty and sour-tasting foods to create learning experiences which rely on one sense collecting information. Explore each sense in detail: for example, explore whether different tastes have the same effect on different parts of the tongue.

Promote, reflect on and clarify existing ideas

Provide an opportunity for students to be aware that they use more than one sense to gather information about their environment.Students could collect a variety of objects according to certain criteria (for example, something that is blue; that is heavy; that makes a noise; with a rough texture; with an odour.) They should examine all the objects collected and consider if there are some which would fit into another, different category from the one for which it was collected. Students should be made aware that they used input from at least two senses to determine their answer.

Collect evidence/data for analysis

Help students work out some of the ‘scientific’ explanation for themselves

From data collected above students make generalisations about our ability to gather information and make sense of the world around us when sensory input is restricted as compared to when senses work together.

Clarify and consolidate ideas

Provide a shared experience to demonstrate the application of this idea in everyday life. Make popcorn with the class and list under each sense how we were able to observe the changes that took place throughout the process. For example, students might observe that at the beginning the popcorn was small and hard (using sight and touch), then the popcorn began to move (using sight and hearing) and then it popped (using hearing) and then the smell of cooking appeared (using smell) and then it was eaten (using taste).

Consolidate and extend application of ideas

Compare and contrast human senses with those of animals. Explore examples of how animals sense the outside world and the anatomical structures that allow them to do so. For example:

• bees have chemoreceptors (taste receptors) on their jaws, forelimbs and antennae
• the eyes of the chameleon can move independently - it can see in two different directions at the same time
• crickets hear using their legs when sound waves vibrate a thin membrane on the cricket's front legs
• falcons can detect a 10 cm object from a distance of 1.5 km
• dolphins and whales use some high pitched ‘whistles’ and ‘clicks’ beyond the range of human hearing to communicate.

Discuss why these senses are important for each animal.

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